Saturday, October 8, 2016

Original drawing by John R. Neill for The Patchwork Girl of Oz
(1913). In addition to serving as the end papers for Baum’s seventh Oz
book, this illustration was adapted for and used in Baum’s Little Wizard
Stories—a series of short Oz tales designed to introduce younger
readers to Oz. The adaptation is obvious in this original artwork;
shadows of the two characters have been carefully blocked out.

Sunday, October 2, 2016

"Very Funny!" - 1934 Saturday Evening Post Original Illustration Art

George Brehm

This very large superb and lively story illustration was published in The Saturday Evening Post circa 1935.

George
Brehm published about 100 such illustrations in the Post between 1905
and 1943 - including 9 covers. According to Walt Reed, "his most
memorable pictures were done for The Saturday Evening Post for story
series by Booth Tarkington, Octavius Roy Cohen, and M.G. Chute. It was a
source of pride to Brehm that the Post never required him to submit
preliminary sketches, although he made many of them for himself before
embarking on a finished picture" (The Illustrator in America, 1860-2000.
New York, NY: The Society of Illustrators, Inc., 2001, p. 137).

George
Brehm (1878-1966) was a native of Anderson, Indiana: he seems to have
always kept a fresh Hoosier outlook on life and folks. He made his home
in Pelham, NY, at "Witherbee Court, where he also maintained his studio
and from where he could cross the street to pursue his other great
passion, golf, at the Pelham Country Club" (The Pelham Manor Story 1891 –
1991. Pelham Manor, NY: James B. Saunders, ed. 1991, p 19). He was the
elder brother of Worth Brehm whose wonderful "Dorm Conference" was sold
here a while ago. He studied at the Art Students League of New York
under Frank Vincent DuMond, George Bridgman and John Henry Twachtman.

George
Brehm designed covers for The Saturday Evening Post (9 between 1907 and
1935), Woman's World (Apr. 1914), Short Stories (Feb 1916), Woman's
Home Companion (Sept. 1916)... His illustrations appeared in the Post
and other magazines such as The American Magazine, Broadway Magazine
Colliers, Cosmopolitan, Country Gentleman, The Delineator, Good
Housekeeping, Harper's Monthly, Ladies Home Journal, McCall's,
Metropolitan Magazine, Munsey's, Pictorial Review, The Red Book
Magazine, Woman's Home Companion, Woman's World...

Brehm also
designed numerous illustrations for novels, advertisements (Coca-Cola,
Texaco, the American Red Cross...) According to his great-grandson, he
served with Norman Rockwell as one of several judges for the very first
Miss America Pageant in 1923 (AskArt profile).